Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Szabo.
Scott, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a composer for several nationally syndicated TV series including “Judge Faith” “Judge Alex” and “Texas Justice”. I also produced and arranged the music for “Divorce Court” from 2008-2012. In 2015, I won Best Original Music Award from the Houston Comedy Film Festival for a feature called “Doll Factory”. Also, in 2009, I won a Telly award for music for the short film “Saving Evan White” and won a Gold Medal in 2005 at the Park City Film Music Festival for my score of “Dancing in Twilight” which aired on Showtime.
Over the past 29 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to have built a career as a music composer for film and television. I always enjoy the opportunity to blend styles of music together. I feel as though this has been helpful in my career. I was born in Austin, TX. I wrote my first song when I was twelve and began performing in rock bands at fifteen. The next year found me accepted into the prestigious High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Houston. However, I was accepted to HSPVA on the basis of my talents in the visual arts.
I took music theory and piano courses, but it was art school that taught me to think conceptually and emotionally about a composition, be it on a canvas or a keyboard. I learned there are multiple ways to look at a problem and how to refine a raw idea. This really helps me as a composer, especially regarding music for picture.
The 1980s and early 1990s I was performing live as a singer and keyboardist through-out Texas and the southwest in bands. I put together my own musical style and technique while developing performing in clubs. The combination of live performances and writing original songs ultimately landed a record deal with indie label Fires of August.
Szabo Sound and Music
Along with composing scores for film and television, I started my company Szabo Sound and Music. As a company, we work on small independent projects, feature films, corporate videos, documentaries, and commercials. We have worked with companies such as BBC, Disney, IMAX, NatGeo, Comedy Central, Fox and the three major networks.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Building a company is never easy. For a long time, I was working on my compositions and field work on my own. Eventually, I realized that I simply did not have enough time to help all of my clients and needed to expand. I opened Szabo Sound and Music in 1988 for this reason. The challenge to open and maintain a business is very time consuming, but seeing my efforts payoff is worth it.
The new challenge we now face stems from the Texas Legislature defunding film incentives. Because of this, there are many filmmakers and crew that are starting to leave our great state. This is because the big projects are being moved to states that are more hospitable to the film industry such as Georgia and Louisiana.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Szabo Sound and Music – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I think Szabo Sound and Music is above the competition because we are committed to providing excellent audio in every step of the production process. On location, we provide the best equipment available and excellent engineers who have years of experience in film and television production. In the studio, we offer cutting edge technology in a great 5.1 surround mixing room. Our creative engineers are eager to make your project sound better than imagined.
LOCATION AUDIO
Our mixers have worked on everything from small indie projects to big budget features and national ad campaigns. They are problem solvers and bring back the best sound possible every time. We also offer production sound equipment rentals such as microphones, mixers, recorders, and playback systems.
POST-PRODUCTION AUDIO
Our company offers full service post-production audio. We’ve produced national commercials, sweetened dialogue, and mixed entire films. Some of these projects have gone to film festivals such as Sundance and SXSW. Others have been released in theaters and aired on networks such as Lifetime. We have even prepared Latin music for a choreographed dance film by Emmy award winning choreographer Kenny Ortega. Our surround sound studio is a pleasure to work in.
MUSIC
From an early age, music has been my true passion. Music is what drives me. It wakes me up at 3 in the morning with an amazing idea that I just have to record. Simply put, music is my life. I always strive to create something unique and original in my music. I’ve been fortunate to work on some truly incredible projects. I recently finished scoring a documentary about the aftermath of the Liberian Civil War called “Camp 72”. This impactful film really got to me emotionally and I wanted to capture that feeling in the music I composed.
On the flip side, I just completed the score for a romantic-comedy called “The Competition” featuring Chris Klein of “American Pie” and Thora Birch of “American Beauty” fame. It was a tremendous amount of fun creating music to match the beats of these great actors. This film was really a joy to work on.
I really enjoy writing music-to-picture. Being involved in something that is bigger than myself is very rewarding. I am thrilled to have worked on some fantastic commercials, TV shows, films that have pushed me as an artist to really grow and I am very thankful for that.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As a company, our goal is to stay on the leading edge of technology in the world of production audio and continue to record the best audio possible for projects of all sizes. We recently upgraded our studio to be ready for any future needs that our clients may have. Another goal of our company is to help grow the film industry in Houston. We want to see the filmmakers in Houston succeed. We are currently involved in an independent feature film directed by the very talented Houstonian, Michelle Mower. Additionally, I am currently pitching theme music for a couple of national television shows. It’s looking to be a good year.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2400 Central Parkway, Suite C
Houston, TX 77092 - Website: www.szabosoundandmusic.com www.scottszabo.net
- Phone: 713-956-7451
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/szabosoundandmusic/ https://www.facebook.com/szabomusic/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/szabo-sound-and-music-houston
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